“We have to arm ourselves:” Store owner pulls gun on suspect; can you help police nab him?

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MILWAUKEE (WITI) -- A man is accused of trying to rob a Milwaukee store at gunpoint -- only to be confronted by a gun himself after the store's owner took action. Now, police are asking for your help identifying and locating the suspect.

The armed robbery occurred at the San Ignacio Market near Muskego and Becher on Saturday, October 18th.

"He point(ed) the gun at me right away, and he said 'put the money in the bag,'" Benito Aldana, who owns the store said.

Police say it was just after 6:00 p.m. when the suspect entered the store and pointed a handgun at the clerk. Aldana says it was the last thing he expected that evening.

"I wasn`t ready. When I see the gun, I got scared, so I tried to move to the side," Aldana said.

Aldana says instinct took over, and he grabbed a gun of his own.

"When I pulled mine out and he saw mine, he jump(ed) on me," Aldana said.

The entire incident was caught on surveillance video. In that video, thanks to Aldana's actions, the suspect's face is visible.

"Somehow I pulled his mask, his hood off," Aldana said.

The suspect fled the scene with Aldana's gun.

Aldana's wife says she was stunned when reviewing the surveillance video.

"I didn`t think it was really all that serious. After I saw the video, I actually started crying because we could have lost him. This close," Ernestine Aldana said.

Aldana says this isn't the first time his store has been targeted. It happened last year in December, when Ernestine was behind the counter.

"A man came in to buy a soda, asking how much it was. Then he brought out his knife from his coat sleeve and he swung it at me, and all I can remember is grabbing my gun and pointing it at him," Ernestine Aldana said.

That suspect got away too, but thanks to the surveillance video that caught that crime as it was happening, Milwaukee police were able to apprehend the suspect weeks later.

That's what the Aldanas are hoping for in this latest case -- that the suspect is quickly apprehended.

"It's so unbelievable. Decent people like me and my husband, we have to arm ourselves, and I think that`s a shame," Ernestine Aldana said.

The suspect is described as a Hispanic man between the ages of 18 and 24. He's described as being 5’6” tall, and weighing 180 pounds. He was last seen wearing a black hooded sweatshirt, a black cloth covering the lower portion of his face and green pants.

Anyone with information is asked to call Milwaukee police at 414-935-7360.